Between A Rock And A Hard Place
by cate's corner
Summary: A 'missing scene' story from First Strike. Before he transferred to Atlantis, Evan Lorne was XO on SG11, a geological survey/mining team. That knowledge is about to come in very handy!


Between A Rock And a Hard Place by catescorner

Hello, folks, and welcome to my first story for 2013!

After the last, multi chapter special for the holidays, I've gone back into missing scene mode. The idea for this one came from a combination of episodes - Enemy Mine from SG1, and First Strike from Atlantis.

Now, my regular reviewers will know I've used the knowledge of geology that Evan appears to have in Enemy Mine to create my own backstory for him. I thought it was a shame that it was never brought up again, or used in Atlantis. Then I realized that, with a bit of a stretch, it might have been hinted at during First Strike. After all, it would take someone with knowledge of both flying _and_ geology to steer that asteroid!

So from that idea, my little plot bunnies took over, and - well, here's the result.

This scene takes place directly before Ellis comes into the conference room to hear the plan that Shep, McKay (_and_ Lorne!) have come up with. I hope you enjoy!

Between A Rock And A Hard Place

Coming up with this brilliant idea had been one thing. Putting it into action was another matter entirely. And it wasn't helping John Sheppard's mood that the plan he'd come up with had already hit a snag – namely the self proclaimed genius who, as always, thought he was the _only_ genius that Atlantis had.

"What, you want me to do _all_ your thinking now? This was _your_ idea!" McKay snapped, throwing up his arms in the same exasperation that had John, silently patiently, planning his revenge. Some sparring with Ronon, perhaps, or a nice long soak in a citrus bath, or… oh, _good grief_!

"…enough to do already, and what the hell do _I_ know about _asteroids?_ The same as _you_… _zip_!"

"Well, luckily, _I_ know someone who does," John shot back, reaching up to activate his headset, and allowing himself just a trace of a satisfied grin at the puzzled curiosity that finally silenced his friend. Yeah, that had him. And while things were nice and quiet, it was time to call in the cavalry.

"Major Lorne, report to the Conference Room, _ASAP._ I have a… _special_ _mission_ for you."

"_Yes_, _sir._ _I_'_ll be right there._"

Breaking the connection, John watched the frown on Rodney's face deepen into a full on scowl. He didn't respond to it, though. Instead he just smiled, leaving his ever uptight friend to silently stew in his own, nicely simmering curiosity. Life was just so much more _fun_ that way, and… oh, _good_. His ever faithful cavalry had arrived.

Watching his XO stride towards them, John's smile deepened in anticipation for what he already knew about his second in command, and the unique skills he had that McKay was about to find out.

_Showtime._

"Nice job on the ASAP, Major," he grinned, waving Evan across to the table in front of them, and turning McKay's laptop slightly around so that Evan could see the data streaming through it. "Now, we've got an idea to stop this damn beam, but I need _your_ help to make it work."

"Yeah, we need to divert _this_ asteroid into its path to stop it reaching Atlantis," McKay cut in, snatching his laptop away, and so missing the frown that had appeared on Evan's face. Not just in annoyance at his rudeness either, but from a flaw that only specially trained eyes could see. And the more he studied the data in front of him, the more doubtful about it Evan became.

"This one here?" he said at last, shaking his head as he pointed to the images in front of them. "No, forget it, doc. For what you want to do, its composition is all wrong. Far too unstable."

Thrown for a total loop, McKay reacted as he always did when that happened. With sarcasm, and _lots_ of it.

"What, you're a _geologist_ now?"

Still studying the data on his laptop, Evan then looked up, glancing briefly at John, then at McKay – a telltale glint in his eyes causing John to grin now, as he settled back to enjoy the show. For every level of sarcasm that the physicist could reach… yeah, his XO could always match it. So what that effortlessly pleasant smile appeared on Evan's face, he knew what was coming.

"Actually, yes."

The reaction was all that he, and John, had hoped for. Staring back at him, Rodney McKay was left totally lost for words. In _his_ eyes, Evan Lorne was just another smart-mouthed, genetically advanced flyboy. So this discovery that he was a scientist too left his boundless vocabulary somewhat… _limited_.

"Wha – _What_?!"

Taking full advantage of this rare opportunity, Evan's smile widened to an equally impish grin.

"I am a geologist," he said at last, putting just the right amount of stress onto each separate word "I have a BSc in geology, and a Masters in geophysics."

He didn't go quite so far as the petulant '_nyaaaaaah_…'. He was too maturely disciplined for that. Besides, his expression alone did it for him. If just for a few rare seconds, the great McKay was silent.

It was too good to last, though, as the power of speech, if not that for tactful diplomacy, soon returned.

"And _that_ got you into the Air Force?"

Oooh, that was low. Low enough for Evan to raise his eyebrows, then glance plaintively at his CO – appealing to his shared sense of indignation to grant him approval for a justly miffed request.

"Permission to slap, sir?"

"For your honour, Major, and for flyboys everywhere… this one's on me," John agreed, lightly whacking the back of McKay's head, and pointedly ignoring the outraged yelp that followed.

Instead, he gave him enough of a glare to warn him that, for now at least, his opinions _weren_'_t _needed. There was no time for bickering. No time for further debate on whose degrees held the greater merit. Right now, their lives depended on another's expertise to evade, and escape, a deadly threat.

So while Rodney continued to sulk behind them, John took silent point beside Evan Lorne's chair, watching him set to work. If rather differently than usual, his XO had to step up to the plate now. And the clock was ticking.

* * *

Through the past twenty minutes, John Sheppard had learned a surprising amount about asteroids. They didn't just come in different shapes and sizes, but rock types too. Compositions. Mass. Degrees of stability.

These were the seemingly mundane, but surprisingly vital factors that Evan Lorne was looking for – mutters of "_too small_…" "_too rocky_…" and "_too soft_…" suggesting it was harder than it looked. And he really _didn_'_t_ need Rodney McKay's idea of making a sensibly helpful contribution.

"Hey, maybe I should bring in my Armageddon DVD. You know, give you some ideas."

Rolling his eyes, Evan ignored him. Besides, he knew John Sheppard would shut him up… _his_ way.

"_Seriously_, McKay? You _want_ me to hit you? _Again_?"

Still studying the data in front of him, Evan bit back a grin. Yeah, that would do it. Helped by a glare that could peel paint, Rodney spoke two, _very_ wise words.

"Shutting up."

"Wise move."

With silent order now restored, John turned back to watching his XO scan through yet more options – lingering annoyance, and awareness that time was running out, lending an edge of urgency to his voice that he knew Evan would understand without taking it personally.

"So if _that_ one's out too, we need to find a more suitable alternative. _Right_, Major?"

"Yeah, for what you want to use it for, that's gonna be pretty important," Evan agreed, scrolling through his data again while offering the still sulking McKay a trace of a conciliatory smile. "Hey, if I'm gonna be Bruce Willis to pull this thing off here, I need to find the right rock. _Okay_?"

There'd been enough stress on that single word for both Rodney _and_ John to catch its meaning. Yes, he knew the clock was running. Yes, he knew that time was already very much against them. But to give them any chance of survival, he had to have enough of that time to make the right choice. Until he did, peace and quiet, and _helpful_ comments, were good. Childish bickering? Not so much.

So his CO's contrite nod was returned with a grateful smile. When it finally came, so was McKay's. And if Rodney wanted to take his foot out of his mouth, and make nice… yeah, that was okay too.

"So, uh… geology and geophysics? Yeah, they'd… um, still qualify you to enlist," he said at last, the sarcasm of before thankfully replaced by genuine curiosity and, just maybe, a tinge of admiration. "I mean, they still count as science, which is… um… I – I guess what they'd be looking for."

For reasons as yet unknown to his friends, the smile on Evan's face faded a little. That wasn't _quite_ the way it had happened, but this wasn't the time to rattle the skeleton that would always lurk in the Lorne's family closet. Even so, Evan knew he had to give _some_ kind of answer. And after hiding the truth for all these years, its shortened version came as second nature to him now.

"Actually, it was the other way around. The Air Force enabled me to get them _after_ I joined up," he explained, keeping the full story, the _real_ reasons, behind the cheery mask that hid a lifetime of private regret. "I didn't get to go to college, so… well, their in service training program was the best alternative."

"Yeah, some buddies in my squad back home went through the same program," John chipped in – curious too now, about the skills he'd seen on Evan's service file that only the SGC had thought to use. "So that's how you made XO for SG11. You were perfectly qualified for their mining missions off world. And you could lead them to fight if you had to."

"Yeah, pretty much. And you, uh, know the rest from there," Evan nodded through a slight smile, turning back to his search, and so missing the puzzled frown that had settled on his CO's face.

He'd spoken a bit too quickly. The smile that came so naturally easily had been a touch too strained.

For reasons unknown, the second in command that he'd trust with his life was holding back on him. He clearly had his reasons, though. And with more important priorities to worry about, John let it slide.

Atlantis was facing the latest in a long line of deadly threats. And this time, there was nowhere to run. But judging by the way that Evan now sat up in his seat, those odds had swung back in their favour.

"Okay, this looks better. Iron core, that can absorb more of its energy… enough stability in the crust to drill into. Good size. Yeah, _this_ looks good!"

Peering at the image in front of them, Rodney and John traded happier but still puzzled glances. To them, it was just another asteroid, but to more expert eyes, it was a very special rock indeed.

It was the best, and now only hope they had to escape the beam that would shortly destroy them. Now all they had to do was work out how to catch it, and move it to where _they_ wanted it to be. And two uniquely gifted minds would find a way to do it much easier, _and_ faster, than one.

So without waiting to be asked, Rodney sat down next to Evan, placing his laptop between them – both now so engrossed in their calculations that John became a proudly amused, unnoticed observer.

Not that he minded. As he'd found throughout his career, teamwork was a wonderful thing. And this unlikeliest team that he'd ever come across were giving Atlantis a real chance of survival.

So yes, the fact that they had this plan now, to let them fight back, made him so much happier, and –

"Uh oh… guys, we have a problem."

– oh, _crap_.

* * *

"We have a problem."

When those words had crackled out of Apollo 13, they'd not even touched the surface of the disaster beyond. So hearing his XO say them now caused John to frown too and, inevitably, for McKay to do the same.

The screen in front of them still showed a slowly spinning rock, with no obvious sign of weakness. But Evan had clearly seen something to make him throw their own fight for survival into the balance.

"This is still the best bet we have, but there's a potential weak spot… just here," he explained, pointing to the asteroid's lower right side, then at the fresh calculations he'd sketched in beside it. "If the beam hits it, this whole area will disintegrate, and… well, then there'll be _nothing_ to stop it. All protection will be lost."

With these new facts to consider, John's frown changed from one of concern to one of determination. Yes, this was a problem. But they were too close to safety now to let this stop them reaching it. And just as he'd done to get them out of countless tight corners before, his XO was thinking the same thing.

Even if it took some creative re-thinking, even the trickiest problems could, eventually, be resolved. Good old fashioned common sense could do it too. And Evan Lorne had _that_ trait down to a fine art.

"We _could_ turn it round, so the beam hits from the left instead of this weaker side," he said at last, running several simulations through Rodney's laptop, before nodding in more hopeful approval. "That would buy you another minute or so, but you'll still be cutting it close. _Really _close."

Despite the concern that lingered on Evan's face, John still felt a proud smile twitch across his own. Carson may have been brutally taken from them, but part of his spirit lived on in Evan Lorne – his mother henning instincts at their fiercest when people he cared about were under threat.

"Trust me, Major, we'll be out of range long before then," John assured him, patting his shoulder, then glancing across at Rodney, for confirmation that what he'd just said so breezily was actually possible. "I mean, we'll need two minutes max to get into orbit, _and_ we'll have the shield. _Right_, McKay?"

Startled by this sudden inclusion into what had been a rather one sided debate, Rodney then nodded.

"If we get enough power from the Chair and platform to make orbit… yeah, we'll… uh, we'll be fine."

Now it was John and Evan's turn to trade uneasy glances, both sharing the same unspoken concerns. When your plan relied on such a huge '_if_…' to start with, and had your survival riding on it – well, for two highly trained military minds, the security of at least one back up plan was second nature.

But it was Evan, not John, who'd spotted the first possibility, and now put theory to simulated reality.

"With enough of a burn on this side, we _could_ slingshot it into the satellite itself," he suggested, running the simulation again, more slowly this time, so that Rodney could see what he meant. "There'd be enough speed, and force from its impact on the Gate, to knock it out of orbit."

"Yeah, that could work," Rodney agreed, before hopeful optimism changed back to a deepening frown. "But they could still re-position it, and hit us on the way up, so… no, this is still our best option."

Bowing to this greater degree of logical argument, Evan conceded the point with the same civility – adding his unique skills to the mix as he planned one of the most bizarre missions of his life. Taking a massive asteroid for flyabout through outer space just _hadn_'_t _been covered in flight school.

"Okay, I'm going to need at least six F302s, a lift to get us there, and a _lot_ of luck," he said at last, pointing to the crosses that he and McKay had sketched onto the asteroid's image, and the calculations alongside. "If we grapple in at these points, we can use controlled burns to slow it down, _and_ steer it into position."

He'd made it sound so easy, and John knew he had the ability, and the determination, to pull it off. But he would still need help. Five other pilots, who were as exceptionally skilled as he was. _And_ the co-operation of a brash, bullish CO who'd ridden rough shod over Elizabeth's wiser advice, and landed them in this mess in the first place.

So even with this plan finally in place, all set for action, John knew they weren't home and dry yet. As he'd found throughout his career, the best laid plans had the nastiest habit of biting you in the butt.

"Okay, Major, great job. Now, go gear up, while I sort out your ride," he said at last, feeling honour bound to add a more serious afterthought as he watched Evan rise to his feet. "And don't go all Willis on us. Just get that rock in position, and get out of there before that beam gets too close. _Okay_?"

The rest was too hard to finish. The thought of another, devastating loss too hard to imagine. But then, Evan had suffered it too. So had McKay, who'd felt Carson's death especially deeply. So even if those words had gone unspoken, Evan still understood the order they'd have given him – agreed through a sombre nod, a rallying squeeze on his shoulder, and a heartfelt promise.

"I'll be back before you know it."

Watching him go, John couldn't quite hide a niggling frown as he activated his radio, and waited for Ellis to respond. If all went to plan, if this crazily last ditch idea actually worked, and if they made it to orbit, he'd be seeing his XO again in just a few hours, but - damn, those hours still held several, incredibly tenuous ifs.

Kept to himself, another now joined them. If any part of this plan went wrong, then he, his XO, and everyone else on Atlantis would be in serious, _serious_ trouble.


End file.
